Alien

There was once a time in the 1950’s when cinema audiences were turning their attention toward sci-fi orientated horror films dealing with mutants, monsters and earth invading aliens. Although this paved the way for such genre classic as Invasion of the Body Snatchers and The Day The Earth Stood Still they were still strictly B movies. Twenty years later director Ridley Scott, riding on the return of science fiction brought about by the all time classic Star Wars decided that sci-fi horror need a facelift. Elevating the genre into the big leagues, Scott also created an all time classic, his truck drivers in space story; Alien.

There are numerous reasons why this film ultimately had to succeed all of which deserve ample recognition. I think the key reason however is simple; we barely see the alien in full until near the very end. This is a common technique used in many such classics, the most notable being Steven Spielberg’s Jaws. This ultimately stems from the common fear of the unknown, that what you can’t see clearly leaves you on edge, the fear of being left in the darkness. The film also has a sense of claustrophobia to it. Set on a huge mining ship the Nostromo and with a minimal crew of just 7 there are endless dark, narrow corridors where the beast in question could be and endless corners in which it could be hiding around. It is through primal fears such as these that elevates the alien to one of the most menacing screen villains of all time.

There is a lot more to this film though than mere suspense and fear however. One thing that stuck with me when watching the film was the great sense of chemistry between the lead actors. Here are a group of people on board a space ship in the far reaches of space who are none the less very easy to relate to. This is down to the script, one that fleshes out each and every character in a very human manner making them a believable fully functional crew consisting of various characters such as Tom Skerrit’s rather stern, authority figure Dallas, Harry Dean Stanton’s dim technician Brett and Veronica Cartwright as stroppy young crew member Lambert.

The key character in all this is Lt. Ellen Ripley played impeccably by Sigorney Weaver in her breakthrough role. Weaver injects her character with the perfect levels of seriousness and compassion making her the ultimate clear candidate for sole survivor by the time the credits role. Strange then that when the film starts out she is merely just another crew member who ultimately manages to pull through in the end, in fact watching the film for the first time you may be led to believe that John Hurt’s Kane is the central character, that is until he is attacked by a face hugger. A unique twist on Ripley as the central character is the fact that towards the start of the film she comes across as a jobsworth who is very by the book, even sticking to strict quarantine rules whilst her crew members display higher level of compassion for one another.

Special credit is also due to Ian Holm in the role of the ships science officer Ash, who throughout the film we are led to believe has secret motives for getting the alien on board. Holm injects the right levels of shiftiness to his character and ultimately our suspicion are proved justified, however we would never have guess that he is robot. One achieved through very detailed and hugely impressive practical make up effects. Overall the characters are what make this film all the more watchable, pity then that in 1997’s dire Alien Resurrection the characters are merely cheap shoddy caricatures with none of the believability that is ever present here.

Another thing that makes this film work so well is Scott’s sense of pacing. Here is a film that doesn’t feel the need to rush into things and instead takes its time to saviour the stunning images and sense of suspense. In fact the first death doesn’t even occur till about an hour into the film. That scene being the all time classic chest burster scene in which John Hurt’s last meal is rather rudely interrupted by an extremely acute case of stomach upset. Through a stroke of genius Scott decided that when filming the scene he would only tell the cast a limited amout of what was going to happen. None of the cast aside from Hurt were expecting blood to start bursting from his chest. That is why when you watch the film you’ll notice how when the blood starts spurting the cast go completely silent and shocked; take note of Veronica Cartwight’s facial expression. It is due to this and many reasons more why this scene has always been viewed as a classic, one that in 1979 had audiences leaving the cinema in fear.

Like the first two Terminator, and Godfather films it has become common debate as to which film is superior Alien or Aliens. Although they both have their defining qualities and are both about as good as one another they are essentially very different films. Scott’s Alien is a visual stunning, claustrophobic sci-fi/horror epic, whereas James Cameron’s Aliens is an all out, spectacular sci-fi war film. For me I just prefer the original that little bit more and feel that along with Blade Runner and Gladiator is a testament to what a magnificent director Ridley Scott is.

5 STARS